Love's Whisper
by Saotoshi and SadExchange
Summary: As unexpectedly as it had come, love was torn away from the once cold-hearted Slytherin known as Draco Malfoy. A year later, and still, his torn heart is finding it hard to recover. Even Harry and Ron, enemies turned friends, can't find a way to help him
1. Whisper

Title: Love's Whisper By: Saotoshi and The Fire Goddess Category: Harry Potter Song Fic Characters: Draco, Hermione & OCs Disclaimer: Neither Saotoshi nor Spooky own Harry Potter. If they were, they'd be filthy rich and would own the world...(ahem) You didn't hear that. In any case, if they were rich, Spooky would be going out with Johnny Depp in real life because she could probably hunt him down and meet him, and Saotoshi would be with Orlando Bloom, even if she had to use Imperio on him...You didn't hear that either. Oh, just read the story. Summary: As unexpectedly as it had come, love was torn away from the once, cold-hearted Slytherin known as Draco Malfoy. A year later, and still, his torn heart is finding it hard to recover. Even Harry and Ron, enemies turned friends, can't find a way to help him recover, and he buries himself in his work as an Auror, much to his father's disgust. (The job, not burying himself in it). Even nearly a year after her death, the void created by Hermione's death has yet to be healed... Chapter One Whisper Draco Malfoy looked at the report he and his once greatest rival had just finished. Between him and Harry Potter, they had taken in three Death Eaters in a little under a week. But still, he felt unfulfilled. Not only were there still an unknown number of other Death Eaters about, but also, those that they knew were still free could not be taken in without any solid evidence. For instance, a certain Lucius Malfoy... However, what made his feeling of un-fulfillment more acute was the fact that Voldemort had yet to been thwarted. True, he wasn't as at large as he had once been before he had tried to kill Harry, but he was still out there. Somewhere. Draco walked down the hall toward the Minister of Magic's office was. After years of working for the ministry, Arthur Weasley had acquired that position. His hard work and dedication to the ministry and the safety of Muggles had finally paid off after Cornelius Fudge had been killed. Despite his minor dislike for the Weasleys that would probably never fully die, Draco had to admit that Mr. Weasley deserved the position. Especially after putting up with Fudge for as many years as he did. At least, that was Draco's opinion. "Come in," said a voice from inside at Draco's knock. Mr. Weasley sat at his desk with an owl waiting for him to finish the letter he was working on. Draco put the report at the edge of the desk and turned to leave when Mr. Weasley spoke. "You and Harry are doing a great job. I think the two of you have become better Aurors than even Mad-Eye Moody." "I guess," Draco said. He stood near the door, arms crossed, waiting to be dismissed. "Potter's not that bad. Although he makes a better Seeker." Mr. Weasley gave Draco an assessing look before speaking again. "How are you doing these days?" Draco stiffened a bit. Why was it no one could stop asking him that lately? Sure, it had been a couple of days ago had been the anniversary of...But still; they should mind their own business. "I'm fine. How else would I be?" Without waiting for a reply, Draco turned and left with a clipped good-bye over his shoulder. Going back the way he came, Draco passed Percy Weasley's office. He was Head of the Department of Magical Cooperation. Inside, he glimpsed a head of unruly black hair and knew that Harry was in there. And by the sound of it, Percy was boring Harry with some regulation or other. Popping his head in, Draco interrupted the redhead as if he hadn't been speaking at all. "Hey, Potter, can I talk to you for a minute?" Harry looked absolutely ecstatic at the interruption, which meant that Draco had been right in his presumption. "Sure. Will you excuse me Percy?" Percy just nodded his head, muttering about having work to do before going to meet Penelope for lunch. Why Penelope Clearwater had willingly agreed to become Mrs. Percy Weasley was beyond Draco. However, in his opinion, anyone willingly committing themselves for life to a complete bore like Percy deserved all the years of boredom they'd asked for in saying 'I do'. In the hallway, Harry waited until they were out of earshot to speak, a consideration that Draco would have never even considered to do. "Thank you so much!" Harry said. "Bloody hell, I was nearly hoping for some dark wizard to blow the wall up and end my misery! Who cares how thick cauldrons are anyway?!" "Percy," was Draco's simple reply. "So, any lead for today?" "None," Harry said. "We're completely free for the day." "Hm, well then, I think I'll head home early," Draco said. Draco saw the look on Harry's face. For a moment, it seemed he, too, would ask how he was holding up. A second later, the look was gone like a fleeting glance and instead he said, "I'll owl you if anything comes up." "All right, later." ~ ~ ~ Catch me as I fall Say you're here and it's all over now Speaking to the atmosphere No one's here and I fall into myself This truth drives me into madness I know I can stop the pain if I will it all away ~ ~ ~ Three hours later, at about 1:45 P.M., three people stood in front of Draco Malfoy's house, which was located on a street with only a few other houses. It was a long street, and there was plenty of yard room in between them. The largest belonged to a Mr. Sirius Black who lived there with his nephew, the famous Harry Potter. Draco's was the next largest. A medium sized house further down somewhat near the middle of the street belonged to Ron Weasley. "Are you sure this is his house?" asked one of the three teens in front of Draco's house. "That's what Aunt Narcissa said," the other girl replied looking the house up and down. The third person, a guy, stood picking strings on a guitar slung over his shoulder. In a normal neighborhood, the sudden appearance of three American strangers just standing in front of a house would have been deemed unusual and would have possibly earned a call to the police from a suspicious neighbor. However, in an all wizard neighborhood, it wasn't that uncommon. Especially when the house they were standing in front of belonged to someone who worked in the ministry. The last girl to speak stretched. She was thin and stood at 5'5" with straight, dark brown hair that went just past her shoulders and framed a pale face. On her brow was an eye ring above her sparkling blue eyes. She was seventeen years old and her looks showed it. Her name was Rose Malfoy, Draco's cousin from America. Just out of school, she was glad to be away from her parents and happy to be in a new place with only her friends and soon, her cousin. "How should I know? You know I have absolutely no sense of direction," said Rose's best friend next to her. Ayin Scarlet shielded her brown, almond shaped eyes from the sun as she looked up at the house. Her chocolate colored skin seemed darker in the afternoon sun. She had a medium frame that suited her height of 5'5" well. Her dark brown hair looked nearly black with red streaks in it. It was straight and went down to her shoulder blades. She was a couple months older than Rose and just turned eighteen. "If this is the house, why don't we just go in? It's hot out here and I don't want to just stand here when I'm wearing black," said the guy. He was Rose's boyfriend. He was also a wizard, and a cute and talented one, both in magic and music. His hair was dark brown on the sides and short, but a dark blonde on top that reached down to his dark brown eyebrows above brown eyes. He was an inch or so taller than both girls and he was slim and muscled. His punkish-style clothes fit perfectly with his personality. And like Ayin, Evan Brown was also eighteen years old. "Okay, okay, let's go," Rose said, marching across the lawn. "But, uh, I don't know how Draco's going to take to unexpected guest, so, I cannot be held accountable for any jinxes, hexes, charms, or curses that may be put upon you upon ringing the doorbell." When the reached the door, they stood there for a moment, not doing a thing. Ayin looked at Rose, who just looked at the doorbell as if unsure if this was a good idea. "What's wrong?" Ayin asked. "What if he has some kind of huge pet? That would really suck," Rose was saying. "Goodness, I'll do it," Ayin said, reaching over and ringing the doorbell. "Fine, but if some huge, monstrous dog comes bounding out, you'll have to deal with it," Rose said. "Wow, such a friend," Ayin muttered. Rose simply smiled. A minute later, a house-elf opened the door. The house- elf was a boy, or at least, that's what Ayin and Rose assumed. He wore a striped, blue and red shirt with blue pants and mismatched socks. One sock was yellow and red stripes, the other, completely green. "Can Dobby help you?" the house-elf asked. "Hi, I'm Rose Malfoy, Draco's cousin," Rose said to him, squatting down as if she were talking to a child. "Is he home right now?" "Oh yes, Master Draco is here," Dobby said. He held the door for them. "Please, enter. Dobby gets Master Draco. Come, follow Dobby to parlor." "Okay, thank you," Ayin said. The three followed the little house-elf after he closed the door. He led them to the parlor, although it being right there, there had been no need. After he left, Ayin said, "Hey, he was wearing clothes. That means he's a free elf. Wonder what he's doing working for your cousin. Unless he's changed, I don't think any house elf would willingly work for him." "Hey! That's my cousin you're talking about," Rose said in mock anger. She walked over to the love seat and plopped down gracefully. "Admit it, as cool as he was with us, you're cousin was a prick to everyone else last time we saw him," Ayin said as she walked around the room along the bookshelves examining different books. Rose thought about this for a moment. "Hmm, good point. But that didn't stop you from liking him!" "Oh, shut up! That was three years ago!" said Ayin defensively. "Besides, the way he embarrassed me them was a big indication that he didn't like me then, and I doubt that's changed." Rose just shrugged while Evan ignored the both of them trying to get the tune he was playing. ~ ~ ~ Don't turn away (Don't give in to the pain) Don't try to hide (Though they're screaming your name) Don't close your eyes (God knows what lies behind them) Don't turn out the light Never sleep, never die ~ ~ ~ A knock on his bedroom door jolted Draco from his reverie. It took him a moment to realize that that was what it had been. With an indication to enter, Dobby, his paid house-elf entered. Seeing him only brought back what he had been thinking about earlier. Two years ago, he had made amends with Dobby for how he had been treated while in his father's employ. Afterwards, after Draco left Hogwarts, he had come across Dobby by accident buying socks, as was the norm. He had offered the house- elf a job, and all because of one person... Realizing Dobby was speaking to him, Draco shook himself and asked him to repeat himself. "Sir, Dobby said that your cousin is downstairs with two other people, sir." The house-elf was wringing his hands. "Dobby thought he should show them to master's parlor since she's family. Was that all right of Dobby?" "Yes, that's fine. Did my 'cousin' say their name?" "Rose, Dobby thinks." Draco thought for a moment. He knew his father wouldn't have informed him of his cousin from America visiting, but his mother would have. He wondered if he had simply forgotten, but to his memory, his mother had never said anything about Rose visiting. "Where did you say they were?"  
  
"In the parlor, sir." Dobby answered, his large dewy eyes looking straight at Draco as if he could see down to his master's earlier thoughts. "All right," Draco said standing. "Ask Lily to bring in some sodas and something to snack on. If memory serves, something with chocolate." "Yes, sir," Dobby squeaked before turning and leaving. Draco took a deep breath before heading downstairs. His cousin could always see through his masks, and so could her best friend Ayin. If Ayin was with her, he doubted he could get off with lying about his state of mind as he could with the rest of the world. ~ ~ ~ I'm frightened by what I see But somehow I know that there's much more to come Immobilized by my fear And soon to be blinded by tears I can stop the pain if I will it all away ~ ~ ~ "Now, who told you that you could drop by uninvited?" came a familiar drawl from the parlor door. Rose turned and smiled at her cousin. "Since when do I need an invitation?" "Since forever," was her answer. "Nice to see you too, Draco," she said. "Honestly, three years and we don't even get a hello. Just like him, isn't it Ayin?" Draco looked to the girl Rose was speaking to. She stood with a book open in her hands and smiled when he looked over. She looked different from the last time he'd seen her. Both she and Rose looked taller and older. Then again, three years was a long time. "Nope, still same old Draco. No manners at all," Ayin said. She put the book back on the shelf before adding, "So what's up? Your mother tells us you're an Auror? That's unexpected." "And what's wrong with being an Auror?" Draco asked, realizing that he wasn't hearing things and that there was a guy in the room playing a guitar. "And who's this?" "Name's Evan," the guy answered for himself. He stopped playing his guitar and stretched his hand out, "Nice to meet you and nice house." "Draco. Thanks," Draco answered shaking the guy's hand. "And he belongs to who?" "He's not an item and he's my boyfriend," Rose said. "And as for the job, there's nothing wrong with it. Just not something we would have associated with you." "I don't know whether that's a compliment or an insult," Draco said walking over to the desk on the other side of the room and sitting on the edge of it. Ayin opened her mouth to answer, but Draco added, "Before you say anything, keep in mind that whether you get any chocolate in a minute depends on your answer." Rose threw Ayin a look of horror, obviously afraid of what her friend was going to say. Ayin said, in a non-too-convincing voice, "It's a compliment of the highest regard, of course." "So they've always been slaves to their craving for chocolate," Evan mused from his seat next to Rose. He'd put his guitar leaning against the armrest. "Smart choice of words then." "Now, let's cut to the chase, to what do I blame for you being here?" Draco asked. "Honestly, you'd think I wasn't your favorite cousin!" "You aren't, your sister is," Draco said. He barely managed to dodge a seat cushion thrown in his direction. "Jerk. Anyway, can't I just miss my complete ass of a cousin and wonder what the heck has been going on that he didn't come see us or write to us except for an emotionless holiday greeting card?" Rose said sarcastically. "No, you can't." "Well, that was the truth, so there," she said sticking her tongue out. "Plus a few minor other things," Ayin muttered. "But in any case, can we stay here for a bit?" Draco let an exaggerated sigh out, and said, "I guess I have no choice. I guess Aunt Audrey wouldn't very well be too happy with me if I let you sleep outside." "No she wouldn't!" Rose agreed happily. She stood up and pulled a few things from her pocket and set them on the table. "Engorio." Where three tiny little toy like suitcases had been, there were now three. Rose looked at them as if something was wrong before digging in her back pocket and pulling out a fourth one. This one turned out to be a guitar case which Evan grabbed and put his guitar in. "So what's your father think of Evan," Draco asked casually. Rose let out a nervous laugh before saying, "Why do you think we're in England?" ~ ~ ~ Don't turn away (Don't give in to the pain) Don't try to hide (Though they're screaming your name) Don't close your eyes (God knows what lies behind them) Don't turn out the lights Never sleep, never die ~ ~ ~ That night, they had a pleasant dinner cooked by Draco's house-elf Lily. Dobby entered along with another house-elf named Blink a few times. After the final time, Ayin just had to ask. "Draco, Dobby is a free house-elf, isn't he?" she asked. "Yes, he is," said Draco. "As his array of multi-colored outfits indicate." "Are all your house-elves free?" Rose asked. "No, but that's because they don't want to be," Draco said. "Dobby is, and he gets paid and everything. Mother once suggested I have them all wear uniforms to indicate they aren't slaves, but I know only Dobby would be comfortable with that idea, so I told her no." "Oh, but they'd look cute!" Rose said. "Rose, you have to explain this whole house-elf thing to me," Evan said to her. Rose nodded while she took a bite of a chocolate cake that Lily had made and Dobby had set out a couple of minutes earlier. "Draco, you're definitely full of surprises today," Ayin said after taking a bite of her own piece of chocolate. "I distinctly remember someone saying that house-elves were a nuisance among other things..." Ayin trailed off and exchanged a look with Rose. The other girl had apparently also noticed since she was looking at Ayin with an identical expression of concern. At some point while Ayin was speaking, Draco's face had turned into a complete mask. He was still smiling, and to someone who didn't know him, like Evan, nothing seemed wrong. But the distant and cold look in his eyes said otherwise. It wasn't an evident look, but one that someone who'd known Draco Malfoy for a long time and was close to him would notice. ~ ~ ~ Fallen angels at my feet Whispered voices at my ear Death before my eyes Lying next to me I fear She beckons me shall I give in Upon my end shall I begin Forsaking all I've fallen for I rise to meet the end ~ ~ ~ After they were in their rooms, Rose knocked on Ayin's door and was answered immediately. "You noticed too, didn't you? At dinner?" Rose asked. "Yeah." Ayin looked down the hall where she saw Draco retreat to earlier after he had led them to their individual rooms on the second floor. "There's something going on. First of all, the way your uncle acted. Draco use to be the apple of his eye, and today, when we mentioned him, he got really angry and just left." "And then the fact that Draco, of all people, became an Auror," Rose said thoughtfully. "I mean, no offense to my cousin, but he was just as fascinated with the Dark Arts as my father and uncle. Plus the whole free house-elf thing." "And the way he was distant for the rest of the night afterward, as if he was here, but not. Like he was off somewhere," Ayin added. "I think we should ask him about it already," said Rose. "Otherwise, I'm never going to get any sleep, and that just won't do!" Ayin shook her head as she went back in her room to turn off her lamp. She reached the doorway and closed the door before following Rose down the hall. "I know you care about what happens to him," she said to her friend, "So you don't have to make excuses." "Whose making excuses?" Rose asked, not denying caring about her cousin. "I'm seriously tired, and I want some sleep!" They knocked on Draco's door, wondering if he'd even answer. It was possible he'd already gone to sleep, and they'd been wrong in assuming he was awake. In that case, they wouldn't be able to ask him anything since he'd probably jinx them then kick them out of his room. After the third knock, they were about to head back to their rooms when the door opened. "Sorry," Draco said. "Didn't hear you the first time." Rose and Ayin entered the room and went straight to the fireplace. It was November and it was already chilly in the house. In their pajamas, they really felt it. They sat down cross-legged in front of the fire for a minute before Draco spoke. "Unprepared seventeen-year-olds," he said. He went to his bed and pulled the comforter off and tossed it at them. "Hey, I'm eighteen," Ayin said defiantly. "So there." "Really?" "Duh, Draco. Her birthday's on the fourteenth of this month, it just passed," Rose said. "Goodness, you're out of it. You never forget things." "Yeah. Draco, what's been going on? You've changed," Ayin said. "I'm not saying that's bad, but you're so distant. We haven't seen you in ages." Draco sat on the bed, suddenly looking very exhausted. As if he hadn't slept in the longest time. He smiled a small smile at them. "I figured I couldn't hide it from you guys. Well, it's not like you guys wouldn't have heard it eventually. Potter or Weasley would have probably ended up saying something, in any case." Draco sighed. "You really want to know?" The two girls nodded, both silently tugging at the comforter to get more than the other. "Then I should tell you from the beginning. It started in my fifth year. About three years ago, after the last time you guys saw me..." ~ ~ ~ Don't turn away (Don't give in to the pain) Don't try to hide (Though they're screaming your name) Don't close your eyes (God knows what lies behind them) Don't turn out the light Never sleep, never die ~ ~ ~ This song is "Whisper" courtesy of Evanescence, who completely rock. 


	2. My Last Breath

Title: Love's Whisper

By: Saotoshi and The Fire Goddess

Category: Harry Potter Song Fic

Characters: Draco, Hermione & OCs

Disc: Barring Evan, Rose and Ayin, all these characters belong to J. K. Rowling. If you are surprised, damn you're dumb! Where have you been living? Under a rock?!

A/N from Sao: For those of you who wanted this slash, well, it had to be a mutual agreement, it wasn't, so there. It's not gonna become a slash. In other words, deal with it, or go read something else. And, for a certain person (not naming names) who said that if the first chapter sucked, the rest does too, you're gonna miss out on a lot of good things and a lot of good books if that's your mentality toward life in general. Boy, no offense, but your life is gonna suck!! Patience isn't a virtue for nothing, you know. 'Sides, I don't care 'bout what you think, so there! : p *blows raspberry*

Chapter Two

My Last Breath

            Draco's usual mask of indifference fell as he was bathed in the memories of the past. Ayin and Rose looked at each other with identical looks of worry and instant understanding. Whatever it was he was going to tell them was going to take a lot of emotional strength. Quite a lot. Right before he opened his mouth to speak, the door opened and Evan sauntered in.

            "Sorry," he muttered with a yawn. "Can I come in?" At Draco's nod, Evan walked over to where Rose sat on the floor in front of the fire and kissed her. "Been looking for you."

            "Oh get a room," Ayin muttered with a smile. "Evan, Draco was going to tell us something important."

            "Do you want him to leave?" Rose asked. Draco shook his head.

            "Doesn't matter," he said. "I should just get this off my chest. Someone once told me it was good to tell people what you're feeling sometimes."

            Taking a deep breath, he began:

            "In my fifth year at Hogwarts, things began fairly the same, with an undercurrent of tension because of the Dark Lord's return. Of course, you know my father was pleased with that bit of news. Harry Potter was still somewhat depressed over what had happened to Cedric Diggory in fourth year. Ron Weasley hated my guts as usual and spent his time convincing Potter that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wouldn't dare come to Hogwarts and that he wasn't to blame over Diggory's death, along with the help of a Muggle born witch, Hermione Granger.

            "I had always hated her. No, truth was, I was angry. Angry that she was always such a know-it-all, angry that a Muggle born could be so much better in certain subjects than a Malfoy, angry for many reasons, all of them somewhat stupid now that I think back.

            "In any case, to make a long story short, she and I fell in love. Mind you, some of her Gryffindor friends said it was straight out of a storybook. 'The nice, caring girl and the cold-hearted brute' I believe were their exact words. Harry, of course always being the understanding friend, supported Hermione, although I'll admit that when she wasn't around, we didn't speak more than two words to each other before we wanted to kill one another. Weasley, on the other hand, had liked Hermione. The fact that she'd gone out with me of all people made him angry. They didn't talk much that year, and I couldn't say that I was particularly upset about that."

            "How did your friends in Slytherin feel?" Ayin asked, knowing that his old House had been a sneaky, ambitious lot with a great disliking, for lack of a better term, toward Gryffindors.

            Draco gave a small dry laugh. "In truth, they despised me for supposedly 'betraying' the Dark Lord, although since I had never been in league with him in the first place, I didn't see how that was possible. I'll admit, there was a time when I would have gladly said that I was in league with him. However, years with my father and seeing the way he treated my mother and me, I didn't want to have to go through that, even if I wasn't on the receiving end of it. Sure, my mother and I aren't the nicest people in the world, but still. There is a difference between us, and the cruelness in my father.

            "I'm getting off the point. Out of the Slytherins, only Crabbe and Goyle still stuck with me. They were a bit thick headed at times, but they were true friends, despite belief in the contrary at the time. Most of the others didn't bother me or speak about Hermione or me in my presence, but I knew that behind my back they said things. It didn't matter to me. There were a few others, Blaise Zabini, and a couple of other people who didn't much care for stupid rivalry between Houses. That wasn't the reason they were there.

            "Others, like Pansy Parkinson, were more than unhappy with it. She'd always liked me; I'd always known that. That she'd become obsessed with me had come as quite a disturbing shock. I should have listened to her stupid threats when the year was ending. She said that she would talk to her father who was a Death Eater and tell him how the Dark Lord was losing a Death Eater to some spell. That I would betray all I knew which was actually nothing and that the ministry was counting on Hermione getting it from me. She said she would tell them that I was being led on and was under a spell."

            Shaking his head, Draco looked at the carpet on the floor as if it had become the most interesting thing in the world. "I knew my father would be against me going with Hermione. She was, after all, Muggle born and as different to the kind of person he wanted me to be as night and day. I also knew that my mother would be against it to, although not for the same reasons. As I said, my mother isn't the nicest person in the world and she can't stand people like Potter and Weasley. Always out to help one another and always looking for the positive side to things. But, if it made me happy, she would bite her tongue and deal with it, at least, to an extent.

            "I never thought that Pansy would go through with her threat. Nor that not only would my father help her, but that the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters would buy it. If I had known, if I had at least taken her seriously, things might have turned out different. Maybe not, but I'll never know. After a good fifth year, I didn't think such an abysmal sixth year would follow. I never thought that I would lose Hermione so quickly…"

~ ~ ~

Hold on to me love 

_You know I can't stay long_

_All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid_

_Can you hear me?_

_Can you feel me in your arms?_

~ ~ ~

            As Draco told his small audience what happened that fateful year, he relived it as if it had all happened only a week or so ago. The images replaying in his mind seemed to engulf him and transported him back to relive it as if he were there once again.

            _It was November and Hermione was leading him up one of the tower steps to see a painting she had discovered by accident when one of the staircases had changed on her a couple of afternoons ago. Her brown hair was pulled in a loose braid that fell over one shoulder, and her eyes sparkled with joy. The painting was gorgeous, and she just had to show him. She pulled on Draco's hand, leading him up until they were half way up. Stopping, she pointed to a picture of a landscape._

_            At first, Draco didn't see what was so fantastic about a landscape painting of a forest that looked an awful lot like the Forbidden Forest. The only difference between the real thing and the painting besides the obvious was that the one in the painting didn't look menacing. It looked inviting and serene. Hermione instructed him to take a closer look, and Draco did so obediently._

_            A moment later, he noticed what it was that had made the painting such a lovely thing to her. At a glance, the forest was of an autumn forest with red, orange and golden yellow leaves painted so that the light made it seem as if the leaves were swaying on the branches. After a while, you realized that there was a gently breeze blowing in the picture, and that the leaves were indeed swaying. Some every now and then would gently float to the forest floor. Of course, that wasn't the fascinating part. Many paintings moved about like this one. However, they didn't have it snowing lightly like it was outside that very moment._

_            "I told Harry and Ron about it," Hermione told him. "And they said they've seen this picture. Except, when they saw it, the snow was melting and there were spring flowers blooming on the trees. A couple of days later, the snow was completely melted and there were blooms everywhere, just like it was outside."_

_            "Seems this artist loved to see the forest when the seasons changed," Draco said to her. _

_            "And look there," Hermione said.  _

_            She pointed to a tree in the picture that didn't readily draw the eye. It was to the far right, somewhat in back, in between two other trees that were thicker and seemed taller, although in truth, it could have been the perspective of the painting. In any case, the tree appeared smaller than the rest, as if to keep attention away from itself. But once it did catch the attention, one noticed the opening at the base of the tree. It indicated that this tree was hollow. And huddled in the small hollow was a small, brown doe. The fact that the hollow looked as if it could readily fit another two or three of the doe made it look more innocent and vulnerable than it did on it's own._

_            "Isn't it beautiful. It's called the White Forest. I looked it up in the library, and the guy who painted it didn't sign his name, but he did leave the story of the painting." Hermione sat down on the steps, still gazing at the painting, and began, "He used to live near a forest that looked like that one. A matter of fact, it's one and the same, with the hollow tree and all. He lived there all his life, and he loved it almost more than anything."_

_            "Almost?" Draco asked, sitting down next to her._

_            Hermione leaned into him before continuing. "There was this girl who lived nearby. She hadn't lived there as long as he had, but she loved the forest. She told him that it was such a quiet and peaceful place. Naturally, he fell in love with her."_

_            "Naturally," Draco had muttered sarcastically, earning him a jab in the ribs._

_            "Don't make fun," Hermione scolded. "Anyway, he had once asked her if she'd always stay with him. She told him that she couldn't promise him that she would be, but if there ever was a time which he couldn't find her, to come to the forest and to look for her in the hollow tree. It so happened that a year later, the same year they were to be married, she was killed. By He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and the artist was devastated. _

_            "Neither one of them had been particularly strong in magic to draw the Dark Lord's attention. They had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Remembering her words, he went back to the forest, if only to find peace in the place that had always done so. And when he went to the forest, he saw the hollow tree. It had seemed to just draw his attention that day, though he had never been for the most part interested in the tree."_

_            With a smile, Hermione turned her attention from the painting to look at Draco. "And there, in the hollow of the tree, was a doe. 'A small, little thing that looked as if though one good gust of the wind would topple it' was how he described it. It just looked at him, with its dewy brown eyes. They seemed to take him to a place where everything was right with the world. Where nothing could ever touch him and where he'd know peace. He took a couple steps closer to the doe and it didn't move. It just stared at him with its big eyes until he was close enough to touch it. It started snowing then, and he lifted his face to the snow, eyes closed. When he opened them, the doe had stood and began to walk away. He stood slowly as the doe stopped and turned back to look at him. Then, it turned and continued on. He watched it for a minute before the doe walked behind a large tree, and when he went to follow it, there wasn't a trace of it ever having been there."_

_            "Seems like the girl had told him the truth," Draco had said into her hair._

_            There was a pause, and Hermione just looked at the picture. Then, quietly, she said, "Years from now, however long it is until I die, if I become a ghost, that's where I'll go. Into this picture with the doe."_

_            "But you don't have to worry about that for a _long_ time," Draco told her as he stood and pulled her up with him. He kissed her softly before adding, "If I have anything to say about it, you'll live a nice, long life with nothing to hurt you."_

~ ~ ~

Holding my last breath 

_Safe inside myself_

_Are all my thoughts of you_

_Sweet raptured light_

_It ends here tonight_

~ ~ ~

            Draco shook his head as the memories continued. "That was in sixth year. Right before it happened…only a month or so before."

            _"Hermione, what are we doing in here?" Draco asked. Hermione was holding his hand, leading him through the Forbidden Forest._

_            "I'm sorry. It's just that Harry and Ron, I saw them run in here after Peter Pettigrew. I know that they'll try to catch him because if they do, it'll clear Sirius's name and Harry will be able to go live with him," Hermione answered._

            Draco nodded and just followed her silently, hoping that they'd catch Pettigrew just so they wouldn't get in trouble. He wasn't sure whether this was all true or not, but he was willing to find out. Because of Hermione, he was making an effort of trying to get along with at least Harry, since in Ron's case; it seemed hopeless that he and Draco would ever truly get along. They ducked under low branches and ran over protruding tree roots, trying not to trip and fall.

            Twenty minutes later, they came into a small clearing. There they stopped. Harry and Ron were both pointing their wands at a balding man who was cornered against a tree. One of his hands was silvery, and strong if the bark that was breaking off from its grip on the tree behind him was any indication whatsoever. Draco guessed this was Peter Pettigrew, which was somewhat obvious.

            "Ron! Behind you!" Hermione suddenly screamed, although it was too late.

            Draco followed her gaze as a giant black spider emerged from the shadow of a few trees and caught Ron around his waist. Ron was kicking and yelling, his face pale, and his wand on the forest floor where it had fallen from his grasp. Draco and Hermione shot blue fire from their wands at the giant arachnid, both intelligently aiming for the most sensitive spot on its entire body. Its eyes.

            Ron screamed as the spider dropped him to the ground and retreated. Draco only stared after it, knowing that strange creatures lived in the Forbidden Forest, but never imaging that such a large type of spider would be among them.

            Unfortunately, the large creature had acted as quite an effective decoy for Peter Pettigrew, although an unplanned one. Harry was distracted long enough for Peter to dive to the ground where his wand lay and mutter 'Noli Spira' a dark curse, pointing his wand at Harry. Ron had recovered enough to realize what Peter was doing and he tackled Harry, unbalancing both so they toppled to the forest floor, neither one getting hit by the curse.

            Draco had continued to look where Ron's attacker had retreated both in preparation for retaliation, and because he was still in awe of the giant creature that had fled only seconds before. How or why Hermione had been distracted enough to notice, Draco would never know. Nor did he care at this point and time, since in knowing, he wouldn't be able to bring one of the people who had affected him most in his life back.

            "No!" Draco turned at the yell that had issued forth from both Ron and Harry concurrently in time to see Hermione clutch her chest as the curse hit her. She began to fall back and Draco ran as if he were on a broom and in pursuit of the Snitch. Sliding to his knees, he managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

            Already, Ron and Harry were on their feet and facing Peter one more time. Thinking back, Draco couldn't remember a time when the two had seemed like anyone but the two Gryffindors he had come to know. The pure hatred that had radiated off of them seemed to become as thick as soup in the air, interrupted only by Draco's anguish. Not that he wasn't as boiling in rage as the other two boys, but at the moment, he had his love dieing in his arms.

            Ignoring the evident fight going on behind him, Draco said to the girl in his arms, "I'm not allowing you to die on me, Granger."

            Hermione's breath was shallow, and her right hand still clutched her chest. Yet, still, she managed a small smile, although it was a forced one. She opened her mouth to say something, but it was as if time were slowing down. She seemed to be struggling for breath, and Draco racked his brain, knowing that stored somewhere in his mind was all the knowledge of dark curses that he'd acquired from growing up a Malfoy. If memory served, Noli Spira was a curse that stole the breath from the victim's body. As if they were drowning slowly, and no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't get enough air.

            "I guess I'll see you in the White Forest," Hermione finally managed with a gasp of air. Breathing became harder for her, and she clutched weakly onto Draco's arm. "Draco…"

            "Shhh," Draco whispered to her, feeling the unfamiliar wetness of tears trailing down his cheeks. "Save your breath."

            Hermione smiled as a tear slid down from Draco's cheek to fall onto her own wet cheeks followed by one that landed near her mouth. "You're…crying…for me."

            "Of course—"

            "Draco," she interrupted with a gasp. "I love you…but… you have to…have to promise me…you won't become…cold again…ever."

            Draco barely managed to nod when Hermione breathed one last thing before going completely still. Draco shook her gently and called her name, knowing it was useless, and then just held her, his head bent over her. Perhaps he would have stayed like that if it weren't for Hermione's final words. They had bounced around in his head like a Bludger being beaten back and forth, going every which way. They pounded him relentlessly, and he wasn't sure whether he would ever escape them. He knew what he must do, but the weight of his promise was already weighing him down, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to keep it. However, her final words still rang in his head…

            "Move on…"

~ ~ ~

I'll miss the winter

A world of fragile things

Look for me in the White Forest

Hiding in a hollow tree

(Come find me)

I know you hear me

I can taste it in your tears

~ ~ ~

            Draco shook his head with the memory, fresh tears falling in between the fingers that were pressed against his eyes. Each tear followed a similar path to a joint before dripping onto the rug below. The only three witnesses to Draco's anguish stayed silent, not knowing what to say to lessen his pain. Ayin herself had tears running down her face, not knowing what she would ever do if she were faced with a situation similar to Draco's. How could someone forget someone who had apparently taught them so much and loved them so much more?

            After a couple of minutes of silent weeping, Draco pulled himself together and wiped the tears of his cheeks. Hermione had asked him to move on. Her final words, had she had the strength, would have been a command. He looked at his cousin who seemed on the verge of tears for her cousin, to her boyfriend who was looking at her in thought, and then at Ayin who looked back, tears running down her own face.

            "I can't imagine how that must have felt," she whispered to him.

            Draco looked down at his own hands for a moment before clutching them. "I didn't feel anything."

            "What?" Rose asked, not understanding what he meant.

            "After she died in my arms, it was like a void opened up in me," Draco explained. "After a couple of minutes, I laid her down, and I just ran at Pettigrew, wanting to kill him with my bare hands." He gave a small disdainful chortle before adding, "It was the stupidest, rashest thing I had ever done. For all I had known, Harry and Ron could have been cursed and dead and Pettigrew could have been ready to do the same to me. But it didn't matter I was too enraged. Ron tried to hold me down, but my anger lent me strength, and finally, Harry muttered the body bind and I couldn't move. I guess I must have passed out, because the next thing I knew, I was in the infirmary, Madame Pomfrey standing over me."

            Draco stood up and paced the room. "I still don't remember many details about the days, weeks, even months after. Everything seemed to go by in a haze. Her funeral, Pettigrew's trial, the declaration of Sirius Black's innocence, it all passed me by without me really realizing that they were. I wouldn't go home again, and I refused to stay with either the Weasleys, some of whom I knew still harbored some animosity towards me, nor would I stay with Harry and his godfather. I stayed in Hogwarts with Dumbledore's permission."

            Draco stopped pacing. "I hadn't been planning on going to see that painting ever. The 'White Forest' was a painting I wished to never lay my eyes upon again. Perhaps because I was so adamant to stay away from it that I found myself standing before it not even a week after summer holidays had began. I couldn't help it, once I was standing before it. I couldn't help but look at it since there it was before my eyes.

            "The first thing my eyes sought out was the hollow tree. I looked over at it, but it was empty. The deer was no longer sitting there, nor was anyone or anything else. I had just shaken my head and turned to go when I looked back at the picture where some movement had caught my eye. The small little deer had sauntered across the trees and stopped in the middle, gazing at me before making a small noise, and going back to it's hollow tree. Seeing that seemed to bring a small peace around me and for the first time since I heard them, I considered Hermione's words."

~ ~ ~

Holding my last breath

Safe inside myself

Are all my thoughts of you

Sweet raptured light

It ends here tonight

~ ~ ~

            Draco stopped pacing in front of the window looking out below. He seemed to have forgotten there was anyone around beside himself. After a minute or so, he turned away from the window and leaned back against it to face the others.

            "I couldn't think of exactly how to move on, until Harry suggested I become an Auror. The classes I was taking were most of the ones required, so I was pretty well on my way from there. You can guess the rest from there." Draco sighed what could have been called a self-pitying sigh had it come from anyone else. "Guess for once, I'm actually failing at something I'm trying."

            Rose attempted to get up and move toward her cousin, but as she did so, the comforter that Draco had handed to her and Ayin tangled around her feet, causing her to fall forward. She fell face first onto the hardwood floor and Draco couldn't help but laugh at his American cousin.

            "I see you're as graceful as ever," he said sarcastically. His laugh died down and he turned back to the window. He leaned on it, his eyes closed.

            "Draco?" Ayin's voice came from behind him. She paused, seeming to think on what to say. Finally, she opted for, "Goodnight."

            Not long after, his bedroom door opened and the footsteps of his guest receded into the hallway. He listened to them go down the hall to their own rooms, and he sighed a long, exhausted sigh, and dragged himself over to his bed. Pulling off his robes and shoes and so forth, down to his boxers, he crawled into bed, lying down, wondering whether he was hoping to escape reality, or hoping to return to it…

~ ~ ~

Closing your eyes to disappear

You pray your dreams will leave you here

But still you wake and know the truth

No one's there

Say goodnight

Don't be afraid

Calling me, calling me

As you fade, to black

(Say goodnight)

Holding my last breath

(Don't be afraid)

Safe inside myself

(Calling me, calling me)

Are all my thought of you

Sweet raptured light

It ends here tonight

Holding my last breath

Safe inside myself

Are all my thoughts of you

Sweet raptured light

It ends here tonight

Holding my last breath…

~ ~ ~


End file.
